I was so excited when I read the topic, thinking, "Wow, someone else is encouraging daily sutta reading!" Then I realized it way my website.

I'm glad you find it helpful. I've been working recently trying to convey the concept of sutta reading as "habit" rather than "project." Just like when people start a meditation practice they usually think that it will be something ongoing.

BKh wrote:I was so excited when I read the topic, thinking, "Wow, someone else is encouraging daily sutta reading!" Then I realized it way my website.

I'm glad you find it helpful. I've been working recently trying to convey the concept of sutta reading as "habit" rather than "project." Just like when people start a meditation practice they usually think that it will be something ongoing.

Thanks for giving it a shout out.

I do have some resources within my pages for reading the texts, and Gregory Kramer has also started something but do not know how far he is with it, I have the free distribution book he handed out as a teachers conference which is quite useful.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion … ...He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.John Stuart Mill

Thanks for the feedback. My natural question would be, though, having seen it, do you feel motivated to start a daily practice reading the suttas, or to enhance the practice you already have? Because that's what I'm working towards. I'm really interested in what the obstacles are to starting and maintaining a daily practice.

For what it's worth, I prefer to dive into the suttas head-on, rather than "ration" (I suppose that's the right word?) them out so as to form a daily reading practice.

That said, I always ensure the day consists of some Dhamma touchpoints / bhavana / reading etc... even if (worst case scenario) it's just log into Dhamma Wheel a few times a day and try to maintain some degree of Right Mindfulness and Right Effort. Generally speaking though, weekdays involve approximately an hour's worth a Dhamma reading for me, either suttas or something else, whilst on the train. Usually not suttas though as I read physical books and often sutta volumes are quite weighty and not amenable to being lugged around in a briefcase. Whatever I'm reading, it's a great use of the time and is often one of my favourite parts of the day.

I thank you massively though for your attempts to encourage sutta reading, as Buddhavacana is the sublime teaching.

SDC wrote:Thanks for the feedback. My natural question would be, though, having seen it, do you feel motivated to start a daily practice reading the suttas, or to enhance the practice you already have? Because that's what I'm working towards. I'm really interested in what the obstacles are to starting and maintaining a daily practice.

I felt that it was an excellent source for a beginner to use in order to grasp that scope of the suttas and begin to approach them. However once one begins to practice I think that they will want to approach it in their own way, as retro pointed out.

I for one would like to read the suttas on a daily basis. Currently I only find the time on a monthly basis, although I do have plenty of time to read at least one during any normal day. I am currently mired in the last 200 pages of the SN, which I have for some reason, found incredibly dry and difficult to read. The DN, which should have been the most frustrating was a pleasure to read and same with the MN. So I guess that is my obstacle.

SDC wrote:I am currently mired in the last 200 pages of the SN, which I have for some reason, found incredibly dry and difficult to read. The DN, which should have been the most frustrating was a pleasure to read and same with the MN. So I guess that is my obstacle.

Yes, it is these sort of "stuck" places that I am very curious about. Because I think a lot of things can come up and folks just stop reading a book.

In the case of becoming "stuck", I think it's because (particularly in the Samyutta Nikaya) there can be a lot of repetition. Repetition may be subconsciously regarded as indicative of something being not worth reading, because the content is already familiar or known. I believe it is profitable however if people are encouraged to see repetition and reinforcement, and to see the repetition of themes as indicators of their importance and significance in the Buddha's teaching.

retrofuturist wrote:In the case of becoming "stuck", I think it's because (particularly in the Samyutta Nikaya) there can be a lot of repetition. Repetition may be subconsciously regarded as indicative of something being not worth reading, because the content is already familiar or known. I believe it is profitable however if people are encouraged to see repetition and reinforcement, and to see the repetition of themes as indicators of their importance and significance in the Buddha's teaching.

I think you are correct. The elided text can actually be used as a memory training. When we see that text has removed we can use it as an opportunity to test whether or not we have it memorized.

And perhaps if one is not able to stir up energy in this way it would be better to skip ahead a bit into new material then circle back around to pick up what was missed. In terms of simplicity I think reading from cover to cover is ideal, but certainly we should complete a text in whatever way possible.